The Amazing Spider-Man Lit Up the Williamsburg Bridge Last Night

Floodlights on the Williamsburg Bridge, seen from the pier at North 6th Street.

Is New York big enough for more than one Spider-Man? While Broadway’s accident-prone Peter Parker prepares for opening night, Andrew Garfield and the crew of The Amazing Spider-Man have been filming that franchise reboot all over town. Last night from dusk until at least 2am, for the second time in as many weeks, the Williamsburg Bridge was lit by two huge floodlight rigs just to the south on both the Brooklyn and Manhattan sides of the East River for aerial footage to be used in The Amazing Spider-Man.

The Amazing Spider-Man shooting on the WIlliamsburg Bridge, seen from Grand Ferry Park.

Coming over the bridge from Manhattan on my bike last night around 10pm, a helicopter with a huge camera mounted on its nose made several passes overhead along the length of the bridge, before passing across it at a perpendicular angle two or three times at very close range. At Grand Ferry Park a crowd of thirty or so was assembled, watching the bridge, many with substantial camera equipment. Up on North 6th Street, on the pier between the condo towers, dog-walkers and fishermen went about their business as if there weren’t blinding lights shining in their eyes.

Floodlights on the south side of the Williamsburg Bridge.

Just to the south of the bridge, several huge, crane-mounted lighting rigs were set up in the parking lot of that film studio on Kent Avenue near Broadway. Hipsters and Hasids stood around, cameras in hand, united in their fascination with a large structure lit by lots and lots of wattage.